7 Big Differences Between Giant Eagle and Kroger Every Ohioan Should Know, Now That Kroger Is Buying It
You can fill the same cart at Giant Eagle or Kroger, but the deals behind it differ.
Kroger announced on July 1, 2026, that it agreed to buy Giant Eagle.
Here are the differences between the two chains every Ohioan needs to know.
1. Perks Versus Points
Your loyalty card earns perks at Giant Eagle and Points at Kroger.
Giant Eagle’s myPerks took over when fuelperks+ ended on Jan. 25, 2024.
Grocery Dive reported in November 2023 that members could stack rewards for benefits like 30 gallons of free gas or a grocery discount of up to 20%.
A 2023 release described 50 perks as worth $1 in redemption value.
Kroger calls its program Points, which used to be Fuel Points.
Every 100 Points take $1 off your groceries, up to $10 a day.
Spend them on gas instead, and every 100 Points take 10 cents off a gallon, up to $1 a gallon.
The catch?
If you wait too long to spend them, your Points are gone.
They expire at the end of the month after you earn them.
2. Size and Sales
Who gets your money at Giant Eagle and Kroger?
Kroger’s release describes Giant Eagle as privately held and family-owned, with about $9 billion in annual sales.
Kroger’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange, according to its annual report.
If you shop at both, one trip pays a family-owned grocer and the next pays a publicly traded company.
Then there’s size.
Kroger operated 2,697 supermarkets in 35 states and the District of Columbia as of Jan. 31, 2026.
Kroger’s release says Giant Eagle has 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.
Kroger’s total sales for 2025 were $147.6 billion.
That’s more than 16 times the roughly $9 billion in annual sales Kroger’s release gives Giant Eagle.
Where Kroger’s Agreement to Buy Giant Eagle Stands
Kroger and Giant Eagle expect their deal to close in 2027.
Closing still depends on regulatory clearance and other customary conditions.
To win that clearance, the companies expect to sell a limited number of Giant Eagle stores, and the announcement doesn’t say which stores.
Kroger plans to pay $1.65 billion, made up of $1.25 billion in cash and about $400 million in assumed liabilities.
Local 12 in Cincinnati reported that the companies didn’t announce any immediate changes to Giant Eagle stores, employees or loyalty programs.
3. Gas Station Ownership
Giant Eagle sold its GetGo convenience stores to Alimentation Couche-Tard in a deal that closed in 2025.
Grocery Dive reported on July 1, 2025, that GetGo would operate as a separate business unit.
Giant Eagle said you could keep earning and redeeming myPerks at both Giant Eagle and GetGo after the sale.
And Kroger?
Kroger puts its fuel centers at its supermarkets.
As of Jan. 31, 2026, 1,731 of its 2,697 supermarkets had one.
In Ohio, Kroger’s store locator lists 167 gas stations across 104 cities.
Kroger’s annual report calls fuel sales an important part of its revenue, net earnings and loyalty offering, so your Points can come off the price of a gallon.
4. Store Credit Card Rewards
At Giant Eagle and Kroger, where do you spend most?
The myPerks Pay Rewards Visa earns 1 extra perk for every $1 you spend at Giant Eagle, Market District and inside GetGo, according to the card’s issuer page.
On other everyday purchases, it earns 1 extra perk for every $2.
At GetGo pumps, the card saves 5 to 30 cents a gallon, but those fuel purchases don’t earn perks.
Kroger’s card works differently.
The Kroger Rewards Mastercard pays the most on pickup and delivery orders, with up to 5x Points.
It pays 4x Points at Kroger’s fuel pumps and up to 3x in its stores.
Kroger says Points earned on the card don’t expire while your account stays active and in good standing.
5. One Flagship Versus Many Labels
Roughly 70% of Giant Eagle’s store-brand sales go to the flagship Giant Eagle label, according to a November 2025 trade report.
Nature’s Basket, a free-from and organic line, makes up about 15%, and Market District covers the rest.
The split is lopsided.
Kroger’s Our Brands page lists more than a dozen names, from Kroger Brand and Simple Truth to Private Selection and Murray’s Cheese.
Kroger says its Exclusive Brands include over 13,000 items.
At Giant Eagle, your store-brand cart often carries the flagship label.
At Kroger, you can choose among more names.
Psst! How much do you know about Giant Eagle and Kroger? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
6. Pickup and Delivery Fees
If you place a $20 pickup order, Kroger adds a $4.95 service fee.
Kroger’s pickup is free on orders of $35 or more.
Giant Eagle’s help center lists curbside pickup as free.
Delivery looks the same.
Giant Eagle lists home delivery at $9.95.
Kroger’s standard delivery fee is $9.95 too, though fees vary with the day and time slot you pick.
7. Paid Membership Versus Earned Status
Giant Eagle’s myPerks Pro is a status you earn, and Kroger’s Boost is a membership you pay for.
Giant Eagle’s help center says you reach Pro by earning 2,500 perks at Giant Eagle, Market District, GetGo or other partners within a six-month earning period.
Boost starts with a trial.
Kroger’s Boost page offers a 30-day free trial, limited to one per household.
Unless you cancel, Kroger charges your card for an annual membership once the trial ends.
According to Kroger, Boost members get free delivery on orders of $35 or more, with restrictions, plus 2x Points on groceries.
Kroger’s page says annual members, but not trial members, can get a streaming plan such as Disney+ or Hulu, with ads.
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